It is hard to ignore the fact that Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, encouraging us to surprise our chosen valentine with gestures of love and affection. All going well and you’re lucky enough to snap up your valentine, the next steps could be engagement and then marriage. What are the financial benefits to being married?

Global equity markets have surprised many observers with the recent sell off in the wake of the US looking to increase interest rates as inflation is picking up. We have seen similar patterns before when markets over-react to economic news/data. Usually markets recover in time.

January saw the collapse of infrastructure giant Carillion. The knock on implications of the collapse will be substantial as Carillion held a number of government contracts including the building of the new Royal Liverpool Hospital as well as the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.

This sentiment is more evident during the festive period when families come together to enjoy each other’s company. Whilst this is a time for relaxation, the New Year is generally when we reflect on the past year and make plans for the future.